Summary
evmos allows transferring unvested tokens after delegations
Wrong spendable balance computation
The spendable balance is not updated properly when delegating vested tokens. The following example help in describing the issue:
- Given a clawback vesting account with a starting
15Mvesting schedule. The initial spendable balance is0. - Time passes and
5Mare vested. The spendable balance is now5M. - The account delegate
5M. The spendable balance should be0, but returns5M - The account can send
5Mto another account.
The issue allowed a clawback vesting account to anticipate the release of unvested tokens.
Missing precompile checks
Preliminary checks on actions computed by the clawback vesting accounts are performed in the ante handler. Evmos core, implements two different ante handlers: one for Cosmos transactions and one for Ethereum transactions. Checks performed on the two implementation are different.
The vulnerability discovered allowed a clawback account to bypass Cosmos ante handler checks by sending an Ethereum transaction targeting a precompile used to interact with a Cosmos SDK module.
Missing create validator check
This vulnerability allowed a user to create a validator using vested tokens to deposit the self-bond.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
Reach out to the Core Team in Discord
Open a discussion in evmos/evmos
Email us at [email protected] for security questions
Impact
This advisory has been created to address the following vulnerabilities found in the Evmos codebase and affecting vesting accounts.
CVE-2024-32873 has a CVSS score of 3.5 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (18.0.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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- The spendable balance function has been fixed correcting the
TrackDelegationfunction. - The checks for the staking module, for the delegation and the create validator, has been moved into the
MsgServerof a wrapper around the Cosmos SDK staking module.
The issues have been patched in versions >=V18.0.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-32873? CVE-2024-32873 is a low-severity security vulnerability in github.com/evmos/evmos/v17 (go), affecting versions <= 17.0.1. It is fixed in 18.0.0.
- How severe is CVE-2024-32873? CVE-2024-32873 has a CVSS score of 3.5 (Low). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2024-32873?
github.com/evmos/evmos/v17(go) (versions <= 17.0.1)github.com/evmos/evmos/v16(go) (versions <= 16.0.4)github.com/evmos/evmos/v15(go) (versions <= 15.0.0)github.com/evmos/evmos/v14(go) (versions <= 14.1.0)github.com/evmos/evmos/v13(go) (versions <= 13.0.2)github.com/evmos/evmos/v12(go) (versions <= 12.1.6)github.com/evmos/evmos/v11(go) (versions <= 11.0.2)github.com/evmos/evmos/v10(go) (versions <= 10.0.1)github.com/evmos/evmos/v9(go) (versions <= 9.1.0)github.com/evmos/evmos/v8(go) (versions <= 8.2.3)github.com/evmos/evmos/v7(go) (versions <= 7.0.0)github.com/evmos/evmos/v6(go) (versions <= 6.0.4)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-32873? Yes. CVE-2024-32873 is fixed in 18.0.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-32873 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-32873 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-32873 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-32873?
- Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v17to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v16to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v15to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v14to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v13to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v12to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v11to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v10to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v9to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v8to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v7to 18.0.0 or later - Upgrade
github.com/evmos/evmos/v6to 18.0.0 or later
- Upgrade